Photo of the Day: U.S. President Barack Obama at campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada September 12, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters)

A new Gallup poll­ shows the Democratic and Republican parties tied, at 45 percent, in voters’ perception of which major party would do the better job of protecting the United States from international terrorism and military threats, a five-year high for Democrats. Read more »

A marker on the road signifies the border line between the United States and Mexico at the border crossing in San Ysidro, Mexico September 27, 2011. (Mike Blake/Courtesy Reuters)

On this week’s Views, we head to Mexico for another guest post. This time we have Miguel Escobar Valdez, a consul general for Mexico based in Arizona and a member of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI), another institution participating in CFR’s initiative to connect foreign policy institutes from around the world.Read more »

President Barack Obama accepts the 2012 U.S Democratic presidential nomination during the final session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 6, 2012. (Jason Reed/Courtesy Reuters).

Most of the 2012 campaign has focused on domestic policy, particularly the economy. But President Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the close of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., made room for foreign policy concerns as well, tying them with his plans for the U.S. economy: Read more »

About This Blog

The Candidates and the World provides a timely guide to the national security and foreign policy dimensions of the 2012 presidential transition. It offers insight on the top issues, and gauges global reaction to the election's results.